India Herald 051519

Web: www.india-herald.com • Editor@india-herald.com • Tel: 281-980-6746

20 Pages

India Herald

VOL. 25 • NO. 20 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • P.O. BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487 • PERIODICAL PERMIT USPS 017699 • 25 cents

Club 24 donates to nine local charities

Queen of Mothers

Club 24 distributed donations to various charities at a reception hosted by Alka and Asheet Yagnik at their Sugar Land home recently. Above Club 24 members and representatives of recipient organizations: Ashok Garg, left, Pradeep Gupta, Juuhi Ahuja, Jugal and Raj Malani, Tom Moore, Bhavna Sharma, Mani and Anuradha Subramanian, Maria Magee, Shalini Bhargava, Veena Kaul, Veena Mathur, Annu Naik, Club 24 president Alpa Shah, Alka and Asheet Yagnik and Paul Vo. Recipient charities included Interfaith Ministry’s Meals on Wheels program, Daya, Pratham,CRY, Ekal Vidyalaya, Save a Mother, Kinkaid School, Rotary Club of Memorial Spring Branch and Ovarcome. Photo by BIJAY DIXIT. See Page 11.

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PAGE 2 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

COMMUNITY

Ravi Goel elected president of Hindu Worship Society

By MANU SHAH The Hindu Worship Society (HWS) has the distinction of being the second oldest Hindu temple in Houston. Founded in 1974 by a handful of Hindu Americans who wanted to sustain and practice their Hindu traditions, the temple moved to its present location in 1980.

As the congregation grew, the South Indian members of the temple left to start the Sri Meenakshi Temple Society and HWS began serving the North Indian community primarily, providing spiritual, moral and ritualistic aspects of worship.

The temple’s prestige suffered a brief setback due to differences among its board members but in 2015, the Society was taken over by a new management team.

Bal Sareen, well-known philanthropist and highly respected Houstonian was elected President and he devoted a great deal of his time, resources and efforts in restoring the temple’s stature. He recently stepped down and Ravi Goel, an active member has been elected President for 2019 – 2021.

Other Board members include Ashima Patel – Secretary, Nisha Bhatia – Treasurer, website manager and Children Events Coordinator, Ranjan Lashkari – Temple events Coordinator and Promod Bhanwal – Facility Maintenance.

The three trustees are Sandeep Soni, Dr. Durga Agrawal and Bal Sareen.

In the last few years, the temple has been drawing a number of devotees who come to practice their faith and spirituality.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita, Lord Krishna and Radha and Maa Durga. Resident temple priest Pandit Shree Bhawani Shankar Shastri is well versed in Vedic Literature such as the Upanishads, Bhaagvat Purana, Shreemad Bhagwad Geeta and Valmiki Ramayana. He performs the daily pujas and rituals according to traditional Vedic conventions and holds discourses every Sunday on the teachings of the Gita and its modern applications as well as other scriptures. He also performs weddings and other significant rites of passage in a Hindu’s life such as naming ceremonies, death rites, the shraadh ceremony (prayers for our ancestors) and even car pujas.

A feature of the temple is its free Sunday Prasad or lunch usually hosted by a member of the congregation for a celebration or in memory of a relative.

The puja starts at 11:30 a.m with bhajans, a spiritual discourse, the chanting of Hanuman Chalisa and Aarati followed by a vegetarian lunch cooked in the temple kitchen.

The onsite kitchen can cater to 400 people at a time and has adequate parking for visitors.

As Ravi steps into his new role as President, his future plans include reviving the Hin-

HWS Board members: Ravi Goel, left, Nisha Bhatia, Ashima Patel and Promod Bhanwal.

Ranjan Lashkari is not present in the picture. di classes, inviting speakers in English to offer discourses and celebrating the main festivals of Holi, Diwali, Shivaratri and Dashehra in a grander fashion.

The temple also holds the Mata Jagran (all night vigil) three times a year. It will stick to its ritualistic style of worship and will propagate the spiritual, moral and cultural values of Hinduism.

An engineer from Amritsar, Punjab, Ravi came to the US in 1973 to pursue his higher studies. In 1986, he turned entrepreneur and started Hardy Machine and Design, Inc., which manufactures parts for the oil field industry. He is also

a founder member of Hindus of Greater Houston and recalls the early years when he would collect the props and other material after the Janmastami celebrations ended at midnight and take them back to his office where he would store it until the following year.

Growing up in a “conservative Hindu family,” Ravi was accustomed to going to the temple and performing pujas from an early age and he continued this practice when he came to the US. According to him, being a good Hindu means serving the family, community and your adopted country, love for the poor and needy and re-

spect for the environment. He believes that praying to the deities is “a means of concentrating your mind and body on the Supreme Being.”

HWS’s new President and his wife Aruna, who is equally involved with the temple activities, also pray at other temples like BAPS, the Sri Meenakshi Temple, Arya Samaj and Chinmaya Mission. As he philosophically puts it “everyone worships in their own style but the goal is the same.”

(The temple is located at 2223 Wirtcrest Lane, Houston Texas 77055. For more information, contact HWS.Temple@gmail. com or call 713-957-4608.)

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 3

NEWS

Ekal Vidyalaya hosts fundraising dinner on June 1 at U of H Cullen Auditorium

“Surili Shaam Ekal Ke Naam” Houston and its large donor community are no strangers to Ekal and its one teacher-school concept. However, Ekal has also initiated several progressive programs and won a coveted award for its outstanding service to the community, which it would like to share along with the growth in the number of schools.

The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, USA is a registered, tax exempt (501C), nonprofit service organization dedicated to bringing education and village development to rural India. The overriding philosophy is to take a holistic approach to social and economic development. Ekal is the largest grassroots, non-government organization (NGO) operating in remote and tribal villages of India.

Ekal currently operates 85,000+ schools in many villages across the nation educating over 2.5 million children annually, more than half of them being girls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given Ekal the goal of establishing 100,000 schools by 2022.

The Gandhi Peace Prize 2017 was awarded to Ekal Abhiyan Trust for its contribution in providing education for rural and tribal children in remote areas, rural empowerment, gender, and social equality.

Ekal launched special projects to further develop villages as selfsustaining social and economic units: • Ekal Tailoring Centers (ETC) train women to earn a living, raising their self-esteem while sewing clothes for themselves and their families. Currently, there are 15 main centers and over 70 satellite training centers. Over the past 3 years, more than 2500 women have been trained. They, in turn, are spreading their skills to their siblings and neighbors. The demand for sewing machines and material is experiencing a strong growth.

• Gramotthan Resource Centers (GRC): where, apart from skill training, the centers have demonstration units which showcase their agricultural techniques like organic farming, solar repairs etc.

4 Gramotthan centers that can directly benefit 400,000 farmers have been planned.

• IVD (Integrated Village Development) is a concept for empow-

ering and uplifting the rural and tribal sections of society thereby making the entire village a selfsufficient unit.

•The Telemedicine project, the first of its kind in Ekal with support from Johns Hopkins University, is bringing expert medical advice to the doorsteps of remote villagers in Odisha.

• Ekal on Wheels (mobile computer lab), E-shiksha (which imparts digital literacy using tablets), and the above mentioned are just a few banners under which villages are turning their fortunes in a myriad ways. For instance, each van in the Ekal-on-Wheels has 9 laptops to teach 18 trainees at a time and can educate 5000 youths each year, in basic computer skills. Currently, over 3500 trainees in more than 200 villages have benefitted.

As of 2018, Ekal also helped create 60,000 rural self-sustaining trade jobs. The addition of fullyequipped 15 Digital buses has allowed Ekal education to enter the 21st century in style.

All this has been possible by the sustained generosity of the growing Ekal community. In 2018, Ekal’s Houston chapter raised $1.5 million. Without this level of support, Ekal would not be able to impact so many lives. Ekal thanks all its donors and supporters on behalf of the millions of Ekal children and villagers it touches.

As part of a series of annual concerts across North America, Ekal Houston is hosting a special performance by the Saregama famed Vishwanath Batunge and group. The concert will be held on Saturday June 1, 2019. Dinner will start at 6 pm followed by the entertainment. The venue is the University of Houston, Cullen Performance Hall/ Student center, 4800 Calhoun Rd, Houston TX 77024.

Vishwanath Batunge and his group have been very well received by other Ekal cities in USA where they have already performed. He is versatile in a wide range of genres on the music horizon. He and his team are sure to delight Houston with a melodious evening.

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PAGE 4 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

NEWS

Basanata Utsav and Bengal New Year celebrated

By ABHIJIT ROY The Spring Festival and the Bengali New Year celebrations, organized by the Surangan Music School, were held in the city of Houston. The festival is important to those who live in exile and are forced to leave their motherland. Founder of Surangan and renowned Rabindranath sangeet singer Rupa Ghosh’s unique initiative and hard work presented students and community members with an entertaining evening. The purpose of this ceremony is to introduce new generations, who are born and brought up in USA, to their own culture, so that they can retain their Bengali roots.

The evening started with a brief introduction by Emcee Mila Sengupta followed by Rupa’s melodious rendition of Rabindra Sangeet “Biswabinarobe Biswajon Mohichhe” which captivated the audience’s attention. The festival included other performances by the students of Surangan and two local Bangla artists.

The script-based program was narrated by Biplab Samadder and Nurin Benazir Khan. Solo and group songs were interspersed with solo and group dances. The tabla accompaniment was provided by Houston’s tabla wizard Raja Banga, and Niranjan Roy. Renowned violinist Biplab Samadder and Bidut Ghosh provided accompaniment on violin and mandira respectively. Group and solo dances were choreographed by Supradipta Datta, Joyita Dasgupta, Shanta Talapatra and Shawon Sarker. The dancers ranged from considerably young artistes to the more mature and brought color and life to the music program. Rupa, with the help of her students and friends, was successful in putting together this program of 64 participants.

A series of songs were sung on Rituraj Basanta such as ‘Rangiye Diye Jao’ to welcome and spread the fragrance of spring.

The Bengali New Year was celebrated by singing ‘ Esho Hey Boishakh Esho Esho’ and many more songs. The festival-loving Bengalis welcome and celebrate this day with great joy, love and color.

Some of the participants were Tithi, Amreen, Anyaa, Aditya, Ali, Sharani, Ishaani, Ankita, Rishe, Manavhi, Dev, Shree, Abhishey, Hera, Josh, Binnita, Tinni, Shawon, Shahani, Teresa, Nita, Naiza, Ankita Talukdar and the senior participants were Tutul, Parvin, Shila, Rumki, Roksana, Arghya, Mitra, Runa, Dina, Amitava, Rumel, Devjani, Faria, Uday, Shudeshna, Amit Sarkar, Adeeba, Suva, Donna, Minashki, Jharna, Nandini, Puja, Somik, Shahed, Khalil, Bobe, Biplab, Rupa and many more.

Rupa, along with her students and friends, deserves high accolades for presenting yet another excellent program showcasing the gems of Bengali cultural creativity. In the unfriendly environment of exile, the event was recognized as a favorite festival and memorial of the Bengali people. The vote of thanks was offered

by Rupa.

Please visit www.surangan.org for further information.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 5

NEWS

Veggeyakarostavam “Music hath no language” is a ubiquitous quote familiar to most folks. However, even for a casual music enthusiast, it is abundantly evident that music does have a language and that language has been the medium of expression for composers since time immemorial.

These lyrical composers, called Vaggeyakaras, employed their intricate understanding of music and contemporary and classical vocabulary to string together soulful compositions that continue to enthrall listeners even to this day.

Recently, a wonderful collaborative initiative between Telugu Cultural Association, Bharatheeya Vahini and Swarabharathi, has created a platform to celebrate various Vaggeyakaras every year, in the form of an eponymous Vaggeyakarothsavam.

This year’s festivities focused on several Vaggeyakaras such as Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Thyagarajaswami, Sri Syama Sastry, Sri Subbaraya Sastry, Sri Annamacharya, Sri Bhadrachala Ramadasu, Sri Tumu Narasimhadasu, Sri Kocherlakota Ramaraju, Sri Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, Sri Ponnayya Pillai, Sri Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, Sri TR Subrahmanyam, Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji and Kum. Avasarala Kanyakumari The third edition of this all-day festival was conducted on Sunday May 5th, 2019 at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land.

The festival proceedings were inaugurated by Smt Sridevi Josyula and Smt Usha Ayyagari, by lighting a lamp in the presence of the presiding deities of the temple and seeking their divine blessings for all, through a brief invocation puja by Acharya at Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple. This was followed by a welcome address

by Sri Sitaram Ayyagari.

The first musical event of the day was a soulful group rendition of Sapthagiri Sankeerthanas, led by Smt Sridevi Josyula.

Dr.Sastry Vedam on Veena, Mukund Josyula on Violin and Maheshwar Ajaykumar on Mridangam, provided wonderful instrumental support.

One of the main purposes of this program was to provide a platform for local talent to exhibit their wares and improve upon their understanding of the glory of these Vaggeyakaras, as they advance through their musical journey.

As part of this, students of several renowned musica schools in the Greater Houston area and their teachers such as Smt Sridevi Josyula, Smt Sarvani Dhulipala, Smt Rajarajeshwari Bhat, Smt Madhura Shankar, Smt Manjula Kamarsu, Sri Sitaram Ayyagari, Smt Jothi Venkatesan, Smt Aparna Ganti and others participated and presented various thematic compositions of several Vaggeyakaras, with great fervor and sincerity.

A special highlight of these presentations were mini concerts by upcoming and promising local youth talents. These included: (1) a vocal presentation by.Sanjay Shivakumar. He was accompanied by Kum. Kruthi Bhat on the Violin and Ch Maheshwar Ajaykumar on Mridangam (2) vocal presentation by Kum Amrithavarshini Kamarsu. She was accompanied by Ch Pranav Praveen on Violin and Ch Maheshwar Ajaykumar on Mridangam and (3) a vocal presentation by Ch Siddharth Ayyagari. He was accompanied by Ch Mukund Josyula on Violin and Ch Maheshwar Ajaykumar on Mridangam.

The finale for the day’s festivities was a Vadya Vrinda performance conceptualized by Sri Abhishek Balakrishnan, that included an instrumental medley by local area artistes led by Sri Abhishek Balakrishnan on the Violin. Ch Mukund Josyula, Ch Kishore Iyer complimented Abhishek on the Violin. Sastry Vedam on the Veena completed a string quartet for the evening, while Ch Aditya Srivatsan on Tabla, Ch Nagasrinidhi Kuruvada and Ch Vishal Settlur on Mridangam completed the percussion ensemble.

The concert began on a brisk note with an invocation to Lord Ganesha. This was followed by several brisk presentations of popular compositions by various Vaggeyakaras such as Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sri Thyagaraja, Sri Syama Sastry, Sri Subbaraya Sastry, Sri Annamacharya, Sri Bhadrachala Ramadasu, and Kum. Avasarala Kanyakumari.

These presentations were also interspersed with ample doses of the tete-a-tete style interactions between the various instrumentalists that helped maintain the tempo of the concert, with the “Thani” – a rhythmic conversation between the percussionists being a treat.

Following the customary Mangalam at the end of the concert, Sri Ravi Thimirisa and Sri Vanguri Chitten Raju felicitated the performers. Sri Sudhesh Pillutla and Sri Kanth Josyula then extended a Vote of thanks on behalf of the organizers.The evening’s proceedings concluded with a simple yet sumptuous meal that was blessed by the presiding deities of Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple.

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PAGE 6 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

COMMUNITY Kala Kunj, Gujarati Samaj of Houston celebrate Gujarat Day

Rasesh Dalal and Geetaben Patel Kala Kunj and Gujarati Samaj of Houston celebrated Gujarat Day on May 4 by organizing a concert with all Gujarati songs in the name of GATA GULMAHOR. Mr. Rasesh Dalal , President of Kala Kunj informed that such program of Sugam Sangeet was presented for the first time in Houston by local artist. He added that about more then 800 people attended the program and enjoyed for 3 hours with no break or Interval. Shri Gaurangbhai Nanavati, Gopalbhai Savjani , Sureshbhai Patel and Kalpana Naik graced the function. The evening was full of music and entertainment and people enjoyed until last song of the concert.

Prominent singers like Kashmira Naik, Smita Vasavda, Hemant Dave, Shashank Trivedi, Dr. Omkar Dave, Dr. Nilam Patel, Alpa Shah, Uma Nagarsheth , Jigna Doshi and Udayan Shah made evening most joyful. The main attraction was live orchestra led

by Kamal Haji, Rishi Naik, Dilip Naik , Minesh Patel and Valvoline player Aziz Khan .

Rasesh Dalal performed master of ceremony with his hilarious style and poetic ability. Geetaben Patel, President of Gujarati Samaj gave welcome speech and Kala Kunj Secretary Vinay Vora offered vote of thanks. A special video was received from Government of Gujarat on development of Gujarat which people enjoyed. Kala Kunj promised to promote such cultural activities in Houston to maintain our culture and heritage and spread good message.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 7

NEWS

ACF Celebrates Five Years of Cricket Coaching Education in USA The American Cricket Federation (ACF) coach certification program managed and executed by well-respected coach Jatin Patel celebrates its 5th anniversary this week.

The Cricket Coach Education program was launched in May 2014, two years after the formation of the ACF, and is the brainchild of Coach Patel, a convener/member of the ACF’s Advisory & Judiciary Committee.

The unique cricket coach certification program is designed from an American coach’s perspective on how educators understand the game and teach it to scholars. Following such guidelines, it is expected that coaching cricket to American boys and girls would be much easier, as well as certifying the coaches, based on coaching techniques employed by American sport coaches.

Jamie Harrison, founder of the United States Youth Cricket Association and an advocate of youth cricket development, commenting on the launch of the ACF coach education program in 2014 said, “Rather than remain dependent on occasional and sporadic one-off coach-education sessions conducted for Americans by foreign cricket bodies, (today) American cricket takes control of its own future through the establishment of its own comprehensive American coach-education system.”

The Level 1 program was launched in May 2014 and the Level 2 certification was launched one year later. To date, ACF has trained coaches certified to conduct Level 1 clinics in 26 states. ACF conducted 14 Level 2 clinics where certified coaches were trained to offer training to Level 1 coaches, and there is an ample number of available instructors to do so year round, on demand. As of May 2019, there are 189 Level 2 certified coaches in the USA, and that does not include County coaches, school and college educators.

The Level 1 scholastic program includes coaching the basics and introducing cricket as part of the Physical Education (PE) curriculum in schools. The 382 ACF certified coaches does not include many school teachers, educators and future PE teachers trained at six universities in the last five years, and many PE teachers at the elementary school level. Fourteen Level 2 coaching clinics at different cities in the USA have been held at various leagues, academies or youth programs since May 2015.

In just five short years, the ACF cricket-coaching program has established itself as USA’s only cricket coaching program that’s based on how educators in the USA best understand the game of cricket and how they prefer to teach their youth scholars in schools and colleges.

ACF has trained more Level 1 and Level 2 coaches than all other past projects and initiatives by foreign cricket boards and education programs in USA’s cricket history.

ACF continues to expand its coach’s network in the USA, while helping leagues and club communities develop youth cricket programs, by sponsoring coaching camps at no cost to those hosting the training clinics.

Coach Jatin Patel says, “Knowledge is most important in sports coaching and I am thankful to ACF for providing the opportunity and platform to pass on the coaching knowledge and ideas to so many new coaches; which can help them in their youth cricket coaching endeavors,” adding, “I always enjoy helping others as a volunteer and my love for the game.”

The most recent ACF coaching clinic for the 2019 season was hosted by Hoysala and Massachusetts State Cricket league, and held at Lexington (Boston) Massachusetts. ACF would like to continue helping cricket communities where coaching initiatives never existed. It is the best approach to making cricket a true American sport.

With the ICC’s recent decision to globalize cricket based on the T20 format and USA acquiring ODI status, ACF is stepping up to make its coaching program available to other ICC Associate member countries that are in a similar position like USA, when the ACF coach certification program was launched.

Undoubtedly, Jatin Patel is a very qualified instructor. He is a Cricket Australia Level 2 and ICC CertifiedCoach, with a High School Coaches Diploma from NSCAA and a Certified Interscholastic Coach (CIC) for High Schoolsports certified by the NFHS, USA. Coach Patel also holds US Soccer national Coaching & Officiating credentials.

He is passionate about the sport of cricket and has made an impact on the cricket coaching landscape of the USA. The positive initiative of the ACF cricket coaching program is an integral part of the growth of cricket and the sport becoming a part of the USA sports environment.

The ACF and Jatin Patel will continue to develop initiatives and programs that simplify the basics of coaching cricket to an American audience and youth still skeptical about the sport.

PAGE 8 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 9

COMMUNITY

Tamil Nadu Foundation celebrates Mother’s Day “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.�

Rudyard Kipling’s sentiment in this quote is universal. Mother’s Day, an international day of celebrations, is to honor all mothers.

Tamil Nadu Foundation, Houston Chapter (TNF-H) is known for its annual Mother’s Day celebrations.

This non-proďŹ t organization annually honors ďŹ ve mothers from the community who have dedicated their time and eorts for the upliftment of society.

The mothers honored for the year 2018-2019 are Ponni Sivaraman, Indira Parthasarathy, Meena Chockalingam, Thara Narasimhan and Savithri Ramanujam.

In keeping with tradition, these mothers were driven to the venue, Westchester Academy of International Studies, in a limousine and welcomed by TNF–H oďŹƒcers and honored on stage.

As a surprise, Dr. Padmini Ranganathan who has played a pivotal role in TNF-H was honored as the “Queen of Mothers.�

Mala Gopal, President of TNF-H observed that mothers should be celebrated all our lives and not just on this special day.

The evening had a variety of programs to entertain the gathering. Chief Guest of this evening was Selvi Kuralsoodi Umayal Meiyyammai, a child prodigy in Tamil discourse. This 10-year old child is well-versed in Tamil literature and is known for her excellence in Thirukkural recitation. She captivated the audience with her ow of speech that was aimed to praise motherhood.

Incidentally, her mother Mrs. Vadivambal was also honored, along with the other ďŹ ve mothers. Selvi was also honored with the title “Sorselviâ€? and received this title from the President, Mala Gopal.

The other chief guests of the evening were Amy Rodriquez, CEO of Cornerstone Critical Care Specialty Hospital and Dr. Venkat Sevamanickam, MD Anderson Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at the University of Houston.

They recognized all the children who participated in Thirukkural Vilayattu, a Kural reciting competition that was held a month ago.

The mothers of the ďŹ rst two winners received a custom-designed saree that carried the image of Thiruvalluvar.

As a new eort, TNF-H also recognized youth who are graduating this year from high school and have tirelessly volunteered for the Tamil community.

Four hundred people attended the event which concluded with dinner sponsored by Rajan Radhakrishnan of Madras Pavillion, Houston. —By Adhi Gopal and Nandhakumar Radhakrishnan

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Queen of Mothers Padmini Ranganathan with Mothers Day honorees.

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PAGE 10 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

NEWS

By HAIDER KASIM HOUSTON This year’s Hasya Kavi Sammelan was once again what the organizers had promised – a non-stop laughter session for nearly three hours.

Organized by the International Hindi Association, Houston Chapter, and the India Culture Center, Houston, three visiting Indian poets’ regaled listeners who packed the hall to capacity at India House on April 28.

The guests were welcomed by ICC President Nisha Mirani and ICC Director Dr. KD Upadhyaya who forewarned the audience before the poets opened the floodgates of laughter by their satire, humor and jokes.

The three poets – Padmashri Dr. Surendra Dubey from Raipur, Shabina Adeeb from Kanpur, and Mahendra Ajnabi from Delhi – are well-known Indian poets who are currently visiting the United States. Houston was the ninth stop in their whirlwind tour which will take them to 19 cities over a period of 33 days.

The local chapters of International Hindi Association coordinate the tour of these poets.

The program began with the recitation of Saraswati Vandana by Shabeena Adeeb, an Urdu poet who has taken part in many kavi sammelans in India. Her melodious voice and recitation of geet and ghazal provided a unique backdrop to the kavi sammelan and highlighted the common origins of Hindi and Urdu. Described as the two sisters, Hindi and Urdu together is the third most spoken language in the world.

After the Saraswati Vandana, Dr. Surendra Dubey took the audience on a rollercoaster ride of jokes and satire ranging from politics to lifestyles. Dr. Dubey, who has authored five books, is the second satirist and humorist poet to have received the Padmashri from the Government of India after Kaka Hathrasi, the master of the genre.

Mahendra Ajnabi retorted to jibes made by Dr. Dubey over his receding hairline and made equally humorous comments about Dr. Dubey. His poems and jokes maintained a fine line between humor and satire for which he is well known. He has several published works and has received many awards for his works.

The poets commended the organizers for their work in the spread of Hindi in the United States, especially among younger generations and said that they were impressed by the high number of youths attending the kavi sammelan in some of the cities they visited.

Dr. Upadhyaya pointed out that IHA runs four classes to teach Hindi and the organization wanted to expand but is unable to find people to teach Hindi. He urged the Indian community members who know Hindi to volunteer and teach the language to the younger generation.

Sanjay Sohoni, IHA Secretary and ICC Trustee, was felicitated at the kavi sammelan for his continuous voluntary service to the cause of Hindi since 2009.

Brij Gopal Pallod, who is visiting Houston from India, was impressed by the work done by IHA to spread India’s national language as well as the enthusiasm of Houstonians attending the kavi sammelan. He said he was especially impressed by the recitation of the Saraswati Vandana by an Urdu poet.

The event was sponsored by Discount Power and refreshments were catered by Madras Pavilion.

Non-stop laughter at Hasya Kavi Sammelan

Poet Mahendra Ajanbi is seen rendering his poem from the dais of IHA, Houston Chapter. Ms. Shabina Adib and Padamshri Surendra Dube ji, seen seated on the stage, captivated the audience by their presentation.

Photos by Saundarya Sohini and Rishi Sohini.

Houston Chapter of International Hindi Association felicitated Sanjay Sohoni in recognition of his dedicated volunteering work for the past many years. Sanjay Sohoni is secretary of Houston Chapter of IHA, former board of director and present trustee of India Culture Center.

Singer Javed Ali, left, Mousumi Banerjee and Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella.

Mousumi Banerjee honored. Mousumi Banerjee of MB Entertainment brought the Javed Ali live concert to Stafford Center on May 3 and the rocking performance brought kudos to Mousumi for organizing the successful show. After presenting a proclamation honoring Mousumi Banerjee for her community service, Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella congratulated Javed Ali on his outstanding performance.

Mousumi Banerjee, the CEO of MB Entertainment Company helps promote large and smallscale events in the likes of concerts, talent shows and cultural shows across Houston. She has also been persistently supporting non-profit organizations like India House, CRY, SEWA International and Indo American Charity Foundation. — Photo Murali Santhana.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 11

NEWS

Philanthropy in action at Club 24 Club 24 a philanthropic group of Indian American in Houston donated to nine charities at a reception held Club 24 President Alpa Shah introduces the event hosts Asheet Yagnik and his wife Alka. Photos by BIJAY DIXIT. Alpa Shah, left, with Daya’s Annu Naik. at the residence of Asheet and Alka Yagnik in Sugar Land on April 27.

Philanthropy is not about money… it is about feeling the pain of others and caring enough about their needs to help, says Alpa Shah, president of Club 24.

Charity begins at home.

With that thought on mind, club 24, encourages their members to donate and reciprocates their effort by matching part of their Dr. Aparna Kamath presents the check to Overcome Juuhi Ahuja presented the donation to check to CRY’s donation. representative Rumsi Sen; at left, Alpa Shah.

Dina Patel and Dharam Bali.

Ekal Vidyalaya: Alpa Shah, left, Ekal Houston President Yogi Patel, Raj and Alpa Shah,Kohur Subramanian, Anuradha Subramanian, Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston representative Maria Magee, Bimla and Swatantra Jain Jugal Malani and Pradeep Gupta.

Alpa Shah, Pratham’s representative Asha Dhume, and Bimla and Swatantra Jain

Ashok Garg, left, with Rotary Club of Memorial-Spring Branch Paul Vo.

Alpa Shah, Bhavna Patel and Kinkaid High Schools’ Tom Moore.

PAGE 12 • INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

NEWS

UNICEF’s 6th annual gala

UNICEF gala honorary chairs Leela Krishnamurthy and Nat Krishnamurthy with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner at The Post Oak Houston on May 3.

On Friday, May 3, the Southwest Regional Office of UNICEF USA hosted the sixth annual UNICEF Gala Houston at The Post Oak Uptown in Houston. The event, emceed by Great Day Houston host Deborah Duncan, celebrated UNICEF’s lifesaving work and honored Susan and Dan Boggio with the Helenka Pantaleoni Humanitarian Award and Sue Smith and Lester Smith, posthumously, with the Margaret Alkek Williams Humanitarian Award.

Over the course of the evening, guests enjoyed remarks from Mayor Sylvester Turner and UNICEF USA CEO and President Caryl M. Stern. As the granddaughter of Helenka Pantaleoni – the founding director of UNICEF USA – actor Téa Leoni sent a gift presentation to the Boggios to celebrate their commitment to UNICEF USA’s work over the years. The gala featured a vibrant performance by The Garden State Guys performing a special tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. UNICEF NextGen hosted a silent disco after party.

More than 390 guests attended the gala raising more than $1,000,000 – a record breaking amount which will support UNICEF’s lifesaving work for children around the world.

Gala Chairs included Cheryl Byington, Mary Ann McKeithan, Beth Wolff and Hallie Vanderhider, who also served as the Lead Benefactor of the event. Honorary Chairs included Shelly and Brian Hendry, Leela and Nat Krishnamurthy, Limor and Stuart Smith, Margaret Alkek Williams and Randa and Charles Williams. Anika Jackson and Catherine Clarke Murphy served as the NextGen Chairs.

As part of their longstanding commitment to UNICEF, the Boggios launched The Susan and Dan Boggio Fund for UNICEF – made possible by their leadership gift – to address child protection, education, ending trafficking, violence against girls, the Rohingya refugee crisis and expansion of UNICEF Kid Power in Houston. The Fund also includes a generous amount of unrestricted funding to offer UNICEF the flexibility that Susan and Dan value as essential in saving children’s lives.

Live auction packages included a week-long safari in Kenya, earrings from NINI Jewels and tickets to the Elton John Oscars Party. The evening featured a lively paddle raise for UNICEF Kid Power with a generous $100,000 match from The Alkek and Williams Foundation.

Margaret Alkek Williams, Sue Smith and Caryl Stern pose onstage at the 6th Annual UNICEF Gala Houston 2019 at The Post Oak Houston on May 03, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images for UNICEF) Photo Credit:Getty Images for UNICEF

Caryl Stern, Susan Boggio and Dan Boggio attend the 6th Annual UNICEF Gala Houston 2019 at The Post Oak Houston on May 03, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images for UNICEF)

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 13

NEWS

BJP moves EC, demands 5-day ban on actor-turned-politician The BJP on Monday moved the Election Commission seeking a five-day ban on renowned actor and MNM president Kamal Haasan for describing Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, as the first Hindu terrorist in independent India.

The complaint has been filed

by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, saying the statement was intended to outrage religious feelings of millions of Hindus.

Haasan was speaking at an election rally for his party candidate in Aravakurichi Assembly constituency where byelections will be held on May 19.

Haasan according to the complaint, said, “The first terrorist post India’s independence is a Hindu.”

Establishing the comment as a corrupt practice, the complaint said, “It is necessary to

state that the statement was made deliberately in the presence of a Muslim majority crowd for electoral gain, which is clearly a corrupt practice under Section 123 (3) the Representation of the People Act 1951.”

Upadhyay said the speech at a political rally has also breached the Model Code of Conduct as no one can appeal to caste or communal feelings to secure votes.

The complaint claimed that the statement was a deliberate and malicious act, and prejudiced the maintenance of “harmony and brotherhooda between communities, which is punishable under Section 153A of the IPC”.

The compliant urged the poll panel to invoke Article 324 of the Constitution and “restrict Haasan from campaigning for at least five days, lodge a FIR

Foreign electoral representatives witness elections

Electoral representatives and lawmakers from over 20 countries witnessed the complex Indian election process in action and the use of the Electronic Voting Machines in the national Capital on Sunday.

Representatives from ECs of these countries, which include Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Fiji, Georgia, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Romania, Russia, Srilanka, Suriname, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe, have been monitoring the Indian election closely in a bid to perfect the methodology of conducting elections in their own countries. These representatives were invited by the Election Commission of India to join the Election Visitors Program.

EA Shevchenko, a member of the central Election Commission of Russia, said he visited 12 polling stations in Delhi and spoke to election observers. He said it was interesting to know about EVMs. “We saw the new machines and we liked what we saw. We visited north and south Delhi constituencies and it was interesting to know about EVMs and learn that one gets to know that their vote has been registered,” he said.

“In Russia, only the passport serves as the ID. Voters can vote from any part of the country and do not have to be in the city where they live. During the last presidential polls, over six million people voted from cities other than their hometowns “ he said. The official said in Russia, elections take place on a single day, not in phases.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora hailed the contribution of the founders of the Indian Constitution in an address to the participants. He also underlined the EC’s commitment towards conducting free, fair and peaceful elections in India. “The objective and intention of the Commission is to always keep learning from the experiences of the past for necessary course corrections for the future,” he said while adding that criticism and scepticism have never bogged down EC. Arora also stressed that the process of conducting elections in a country as diverse as India needs to be constantly updated to keep it robust, ethical, inclusive, accessible and participative. He highlighted the contribution of IT developments in helping with the electoral process in recent years.

On the occasion, second issue of EC’s quarterly magazine “My Vote Matters” was also released on this occasion by the Commission. The Magazine presents a comprehensive glimpse of preparatory initiatives in different States for the ongoing elections. First issue of this magazine was presented by CEC to the President Ram Nath Kovind on the National Voters’ Day 25th January 2019.

Lok Sabha election in the country is the largest democratic exercise anywhere in the world and countries around the world have witnessed every election here with keen interest, and a high degree of amazement.

against him under respective sections of IPC and take steps to de-register his political party”.

According to media reports, Kamal Haasan clarified that his statement did not focus on the dominant Muslim electorate in the constituency.

“I am not saying this because many Muslims are here.

I’m saying this in front of Gandhi’s statue. The first terrorist post India’s independence is a Hindu. His name is Nathuram Godse.”

Amid a row over Makkal Needhi Maiyam founder Kamal Haasan’s remarks on Nathuram Godse, the BJP said on Monday Haasan does not understand the difference between an assassin and a terrorist.

BJP leader and Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the actor-turned-politician was following the Congress and Communists in showing Hindus “in a bad light to appease minorities”. She was responding to a question about Haasan’s comments in Tamil Nadu that free India’s first “terrorist” was a Hindu as he named Godse, who shot dead Mahatma Gandhi.

India House Houston

Infosys Foundation’s FCRA licence cancelled The Home Ministry has cancelled the FCRA licence of Infosys Foundation after a request was made by the not-for-profit initiative of the IT major, a senior government official said.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) enables an association or an NGO to receive foreign funds, and they have to mandatorily register under it to receive such funds.

“The FCRA licence was cancelled at their own request. There was no violation,” said the official. Another official said the NGO made “persistent requests” to cancel the licence.

“We requested them not to cancel the registration but they were adamant. So we cancelled it,” said the official.

The Home Ministry had last year served show cause notice on 1,755 NGOs, including Infosys Foundation, for failing to submit annual income and expenditure statements on foreign funding electronically on the Ministry’s portal even though they received “nil” contributions.

The Infosys Foundation said in a statement that it had requested the Home Ministry to cancel the registration in June 2016.

“The Foundation was registered under the FCRA Act in January 2016. In May 2016, the Government amended the FCRA Act in the Finance Bill with retrospective effect from 2010 as a result of which the Foundation no longer fell under the purview of the FCRA Act. The Foundation thereafter applied for its de-registration from FCRA with an additional request to cancel the FCRA registration in June 2016, and received acknowledgement from the FCRA wing in the same month,” it said.

The Foundation added that the Foundation has submitted its annual returns for financial years 2016, 2017 and 2018 “though it did not fall under the purview of Act following its amendment.” “Additionally, the Foundation has also submitted necessary paperwork to the Government in July 2018, to showcase that the Foundation has not received any foreign funding. The Foundation has not received any notice to file returns pertaining to FCRA after April 2018,” its statement said. As per its website, the association was established in 1996 and it supports programs in the areas of education, rural development, healthcare, arts and culture, and destitute care. Its mission is to work in remote regions of several states in India. Its chairperson is Sudha Murty, who has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

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PAGE 14 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

NEWS Court allows bail to BJP youth leader arrested for sharing morphed image of Mamata

BJP Yuva Morcha leader Priyanka Sharma.

Court asks Ms. Sharma to apologise for her action. The apology, however, is not a condition for her immediate release. The court has merely asked her to write an apology after she leaves custody.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed bail to BJP Yuva Morcha leader Priyanka Sharma, who was arrested and sent to two-week judicial custody for sharing a morphed image of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Facebook But the court asked Ms. Sharma to apologise for her action.

The apology, however, is not a condition for her immediate release. The court has merely asked her to write an apology after she leaves custody.

The court said free speech, though non-negotiable, cannot step on the toes of another personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right.

Also, the fact that Ms. Sharma was a rival political leader and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;memeâ&#x20AC;? was shared in the thick of the Lok Sabha polls seem to have played on the minds of the Vacation Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Sanjiv Khanna.

At one point, Justice Ba-

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nerjee said it â&#x20AC;&#x153;is wrong to put somebodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face onto some otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personâ&#x20AC;?.

Ms. Sharma shared on Facebook a photo in which Ms. Banerjeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face has been photoshopped on to actor Priyanka Chopraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s picture from the MET Gala event â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sheer infringement of fundamental rightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, for Ms. Sharma, said her arrest and the order for a fortnightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s judicial custody for sharing a meme are sheer infringement of fundamental rights. The State action had a â&#x20AC;&#x153;chilling eďŹ&#x20AC;ectâ&#x20AC;? on freedom of speech and expression. Just because some powerful persons do not like a meme on the Internet, will they arrest a person who shared it and force the latter to apologise for bail, Mr. Kaul asked.

The lawyer urged the court to open the larger question regarding free speech on the Internet.

Justice Khanna explained the case revolved around a person who is a member of a political party.

The Bench indicated that a political leader shoulders greater responsibility than a common citizen to exercise restraint. A politician, even a young leader like Ms. Sharma, should be prudent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freedom of expression cannot encroach on the rights of another person,â&#x20AC;? Justice Banerjee remarked. The Bench issued notice to the West Bengal government and has kept the larger issue of free speech on the Internet alive.

Ms. Sharma was arrested on May 10 by the West Bengal Police under Section 500 (defamation) of the IPC and under other provisions of the Information Technology Act on a complaint from a local Trinamool Congress leader, Vibhas Hazra.

On Monday, the Supreme Court decided to hear her urgent plea for bail.

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INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 15

NEWS

The intolerance of Time

By SANDHYA JAIN Nation-centric leaders like Putin and Modi are being subjected to a dominant Western narrative of leadership. Modi’s rise is actually a revolt against the Nehruvian order It is unproductive to speculate why but a vocal section of the Western commentariat is showing an increasing intolerance towards strong and nationcentric leaders in the rest of the world. Three notable examples are Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Putin won in May 2018, Xi can’t be toppled and Modi is currently fighting for re-election. This is, therefore, an opportune moment for venomous attention from underworked writers.

Smack in the middle of a heated election, the burdened White men of The Economist, London, intoned, “Under Narendra Modi, India’s ruling party poses a threat to democracy. Voters should turf it out, or at least force it to govern in coalition” (May 2, 2019). The magazine asserted that while Modi had not been as good for India as his cheerleaders had promised, nor as bad as his critics had imagined, “today the risks still outweigh the rewards. Indians, who are in the midst of voting in a fresh election, would be better off with a different leader.”

India’s swift retaliation for the Pulwama massacre of Central Reserve Police Force jawans seems to have provoked of The Economist’s ire.

It notes, “… sending warplanes to bomb India’s nuclear neighbour earlier this year was not so much an act of strength as recklessness that could have ended in disaster.” Predictably, it disapproves of anti-terrorist actions in Jammu and Kashmir.

A week later, Time, New York City, the US, published

a cover story titled, “Can the World’s Largest Democracy Endure Another Five Years of a Modi Government?” (May 8, 2019). A portrait of a grim, unsmiling Modi frowns at viewers even as writer Aatish Taseer describes India’s ruling dispensation as “rabble.”

Glossing over the unequal treatment of communities under Nehruvian secularism, he says, “Nehru’s political heirs … established a feudal dynasty, while outwardly proclaiming democratic norms and principles. India, under their rule, was clubbish, anglicised and fearful of the rabble at the gates. In May 2014, those gates were breached when the BJP, under Modi, won 282 of the 543 available seats in Parliament, reducing the Congress to 44 seats, a number so small that India’s oldest party no longer even had the right to lead the Opposition.”

Modi, claims Taseer, belongs to the brand of populists, who are of the people they represent, like Erdogan (Turkey) and Bolsonaro (Brazil). Son of a tea seller, “his election was nothing short of a class revolt at the ballot box… [it revealed] a cultural chasm. It was no longer about left or right, but something more fundamental”. Worse, “The cherished achievements of independent India —secularism, liberalism, a free Press — came to be seen in the eyes of many as part of a grand conspiracy in which a deracinated Hindu elite, in cahoots with minorities from the monotheistic faiths, such as Christianity and Islam, maintained its dominion over India’s Hindu majority.” Taseer dubs Modi’s victory an expression of that distrust.

Actually, non-deracinated Hindus from the same educational and professional backgrounds led the revolt against the Nehruvian order. We may

call it the return of the heirs of Tilak, Aurobindo, Bose and others given short shrift by the historians and hagiographers of independent India’s new masters. There is no yawning economic chasm between supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, as Taseer insinuates; no French Revolution-style upsurge of have-nots against feudal lords.

Beginning with the founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), KB Hedgewar, from which most BJP leaders come, the party has comprised largely urban middle class professionals (doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers) — not exactly an under-proletariat.

But the Time article seems to have an agenda. One objective is to exonerate the Congress for the targetted killing of Sikhs after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

It says, “The Congress leadership, though hardly blameless, was able, even through the selective profession of secular ideals, to separate itself from the actions of the mob.” This is simply untrue. Rajiv Gandhi took HKL Bhagat and Jagdish Tytler (named in many citizens’ reports) into his Cabinet. However, Taseer blithely blames Modi for the Gujarat riots of 2002, even though he had been sent to the State only months ago to supervise relief and reconstruction after the Bhuj earthquake (2001). This is the context in which Modi arrived in Gujarat; any analysis that ignores this is intrinsically flawed.

For honest reporting, Taseer could have asked the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development for statistics regarding the special scholarships for minority students, including for study abroad; and the free coaching for minority (read Muslim) aspirants for IAS. Above all, he could have

checked their mark sheets to see how many made the grade through (inflated) marks during interviews.

India’s majority community had some legitimate expectations from the Government in 2014. One was scrapping the atrocious Right to Education Act imposed by the erstwhile regime, under which the State refused to improve education in Government schools and made the Hindu middle class pay for underprivileged children in private schools. Worse, the then government exempted minority-run institutions from giving free education to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) children from their own community, leaving them free to mint money.

The free education quota for EWS forced the closure of thousands of small, cashstrapped private schools that catered to aspirational EWS families. Their children were pushed into non-functional Government schools, while only a miniscule number could be admitted to private schools.

In all honesty, the idea of a minority institution is defeated if it does not cater to the community to which it belongs; in fact this should be a condition of minority educational institutions.

Taseer laments that Modi may win again because, “the Opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi, an unteachable mediocrity and a descendant of Nehru, is in disarray.” The Congress has little to offer other than the dynastic principle: “India’s oldest party has no more political imagination than to send Priyanka Gandhi — Rahul’s sister — to join her brother’s side.”

Modi, he concludes, “is lucky to be blessed with so weak an Opposition — a ragtag coalition of parties, led by the Congress, with no agenda other than to defeat him.” It is astonishing that Time published these incoherent ramblings as a cover story.

(The writer is Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library; the views expressed are personal)

Aatish failed to capture the main reason why India has turned to populism

Born pre-independence to a freedom fighter and growing up in India I was a proud Indian and a big fan of Nehru and Congress party. I was moderate and politically secular because as a Hindu I strongly believed that all men are born equal and need to be treated equally. But over the years the incompetent and corrupt descendants of Nehru family have used the minorities as a vote bank by giving them undue preferences. The quota system for college admissions and Governments posts which was supposed to end once the minorities come to par is still continuing and on the rise. As a result the brightest children of our families are having disadvantage to get admission in the elite colleges of India.

Meanwhile, the mosques are mushrooming in every nook and corner of India with foreign money pouring in from rich Muslim countries. Religion is taken precedent over nationalism. That is the reason our moderate family members back home have turned to Modi as a savior to bring normalcy back.

Prabhat C Sharma Houston, TX

Air India to cut fare for last- minute passengers

Air India will offer a heavy discount to passengers booking a domestic flight for last-minute travel, the national carrier announced on Friday.

The decision was taken at a review meeting at the airline’s headquarters here.

Air India said travellers buying a ticket within three hours of departure could benefit from its offer.

“The last-minute traveller... is often faced with very high ticket prices… The national carrier has, therefore, decided that for the domestic sector, the “very last moment inventory”, i.e., the seats available within three hours of departure, would be sold at a hefty discount,” according to a statement.

The airline’s spokesperson, Dhananjay Kumar, said the discount could be 40% on the cost of tickets normally available in that time period.

By sweetening the deal for last-minute travellers, the airline is also hoping to sell the seats that otherwise go empty and improve its seat occupancy rate or passenger load factor (PLF). Air India’s PLF is usually the lowest among all domestic carriers.

In March, according to DGCA data, Air India was able to sell only 80.8% seats across its flights, while SpiceJet was able to sell 93% seats, Go Air 91.4%, Air Asia 87.5%, Vistara 86.8%, Jet Airways 86.7% and IndiGo 86%.

Competitors in the market are unlikely to be happy with Air India’s decision.

A senior airline official who spoke on the condition of anonymity called it a “knee-jerk reaction” to criticism of high fares. The government had recently appealed to airlines to not hike airfares after the grounding of Jet Airways led to a spike in ticket prices due to a shortfall in capacity.

PAGE 16 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

NEWS Lanka deports 600 clerics, including 100 Indians Out of the 600 foreigners including 200 hardcore maulvis (Muslim religious preachers) deported by Colombo over the last week after the suicide bombings there, over a 100 were Indians.

They, along with those from Pakistan and Maldives, were suspected to be engaged in radicalisation in the Sri Lankan mosques.

Besides the Indians, clerics from Pakistan and Maldives have also been deported in large numbers owing to their terror links that emerged after serial suicide bombings in Colombo on Sunday Easter last month that took a toll of over 250 persons including 11 Indians. Besides the 200 maulvis, the 400 other individuals are also suspected to have travelled on tourist visas but have been essentially been engaged in radical preachings, sources said.

Sri Lankan authorities have identiďŹ ed about 1,200 such individuals who are being screened for terror links and depending upon antecedent veriďŹ cation more such clerics are likely to be deported to the respective countries.

The revelation of the Indian maulvis in radicalisation activities in the island nation has set alarm bells ringing in the security establishment here as they apprehend the international terror groups might have developed a hub of such transnational radical preachers in the country.

The deportations began on Tuesday after the Sri Lankan authorities informed the respective foreign missions on the issue.

By Thursday, the 600 such radicals were deported to the respective countries.

Pakistani clerics have inďŹ ltrated the mosques in the region including in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Maldives and even in some of the ASEAN countries. These clerics are being exploited by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence for the larger design of implementing state agenda of sponsoring terror in the neighbourhood, sources said.

The sources said such radical clerics are also part of the transnational radicalization networks of the international terror groups like the Al Qaeda and ISIS who have a long term agenda of radicalisation and subsequently recruit them into their fold for their terror designs, including logistics management chain and funding through illegal narcotics supply chain.

During the last over two years, Indian clerics in large number, as revealed by the Sri Lankan deportation, are also taking up jobs of Islamic preaching in foreign shores.

In the wake of the development, the challenge for the security agencies is two-fold: ďŹ rst, to keep tabs on their activities after their deportation, and secondly to establish their role and extent of involvement in radicalization during their stay in Sri Lanka, insiders said.

OďŹ&#x192;cials also said the Indian security agencies will have an onerous task ahead to contain the impact of the deported radical clerics.

They said counter-terrorism and security-related issues come under the domain of the security agencies in so far as Sri Lanka is concerned as any adverse activity there has a direct bearing on the security calculus in South India, especially Tamil Nadu.

Ahead of carrying out the suicide bombing in Colombo, chief National Thowheed Jamat Zaharan Hashim had stayed in South India for three months but remained undetected by the Intelligence Bureau.

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Tamil Nadu writhes in heat wave as mercury crosses 42 degrees Tamil Nadu is witnessing an unprecedented water shortage which has put the people in severe hardship. The acute drought has resulted in lakes, ponds and water bodies supplying drinking water to the capital city of Chennai getting dried up. Housewives in Chennai and suburban areas pat Rs 10 per plastic pot of water supplied by the local water vendors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In this hot and humid condition, it is almost impossible to think of taking daily bath. It is a costly aďŹ&#x20AC;air nd we have rescheduled our bathing to twice a week,â&#x20AC;? said M Meena, a Dalit activist residing at Indira Nagar in Adyar.

The month of May is described as the season of Agni Nakshathram (Tamil for the burning star) because of the high temperatures recorded in the State. Mercury crossing the 42 Degree Celsius mark is a routine event during the Agni Nakashatram days which last throughout the month of May. While the nouveau riche of the city leave for places as far away as Europe and the US to escape from the scorching sun, the upper middle class prefer places like Yercaud , Ootty and Kodaikanal in the State itself which oďŹ&#x20AC;er salubrious weather.

The summer and the water shortage is certain to take a heavy toll in the Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agriculture , according to R V

Giri, president, Consortium of Indian Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Associations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The farming operations for the short term Kuruvai crop has to commence in mid-June and it is certain that this year also we will be forced to skip it,â&#x20AC;? said Giri over telephone from Virudachalam.

Tamil Naduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifeline continues to be River Kaveri which originates in Karnataka and meanders through the districts of Tiruchirappalli, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur , Nagapattinam and Cuddalore before getting discharged into the Bay of Bengal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Kaveri has dried up as there is no water in its Tamil Nadu stretch. You will be shocked to see the river as it wears the look of a desert,â&#x20AC;? said KV Kannan, vice-president, Tamil Nadu Kavery Delta Farmers Welfare Association.

Kannan who was in the forefront of the agitation for Kaveri water has taken a sabbatical and authored a book â&#x20AC;&#x153;River Kaveri, the Most Revered Yet the Most Battledâ&#x20AC;? which is being released on Saturday.

Kannan says people in North India do not understand the reverence the river has in the hearts of Tamil Nadu farmers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope to make the people occupying major positions in New deslhi to understand the signiďŹ cance of this river. There is suďŹ&#x192;cient water in this river for the people of Karnataka

and Tamil Nadu to share. But for the politicians, Kaveri is a vote bank,â&#x20AC;? Kannan told The Pioneer.

Even as the Monsoon rains fail Tamil Nadum year after year, nothing has been done to ensure the equitable distribution of Kaveri or to make the farmers dependent less on this river. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tamil Nadu should build a series of desalination plants along its East Coast which would resolve the water shortage in the State. There are high end desal plants which are energy eďŹ&#x192;cient as well as eco friendly. The initial investment may be high but you cannot expect anything free of cost,â&#x20AC;? said Subramanian Swamy MP, who has been pressing the Tamil Nadu government for setting up desal plants along the Bay of Bengal cost.

The truth is that Tamil Nadu government does not have the will power to take up such projects. â&#x20AC;&#x153; We should have out of the box ideas to address this situation which is peculiar to this State. But there are many people who have thrived because of the water scarcity.

The water lords in Chennai, who own ďŹ&#x201A;eet of water tankers, laugh all their way to the Banks because the government has failed to address the issue,â&#x20AC;? said C D Meyyappan, Congress leader.

Divorce by mutual consent: HC waives cooling-oďŹ&#x20AC; period The Delhi High Court has waived the cooling-oďŹ&#x20AC; period for divorce by mutual consent of a woman, from her estranged husband, after she expressed her intention to enter into another marriage with a non-resident Indian who was in India for limited number of days.

Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 mandates that in case of divorce by mutual consent, there has to be a composite period of 18 months of separation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one year provided in Section 13B (1) and six months in Section 13B (2).

The woman had approached the High Court after a family court here rejected her application for waiving the statutory period of six months under Section 13B(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act. Justice Prateek Jalan noted that the safeguards contained in the statue, including the period of one year between the separation of the parties and

the ďŹ rst motion and the period of six months between the ďŹ rst motion and the second motion, are intended to explore every avenue of reconciliation and avoid an impulsive decision to break a marriage.

The judge said that in the present case, however, there does not appear to be any likelihood of such reconciliation as the parties have lived separately since October 2017 and the composite period of 18 months expired on April 25, 2019.

The family court had relied on a 2017 Supreme Court judgment to hold that the statutory period of six months can be waived, only if the ďŹ rst motion itself has been ďŹ led after the expiry of 18 months from the date when the parties had started living separately.

However, the High Court rejected the family courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reasoning saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A holistic reading of the [Supreme] Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s judgment leads instead to the conclusion that purposeless

marriage which has no chance of reunion ought not to be prolonged.â&#x20AC;?

The estranged couple had got married in July 2017 and started living separately from October 25, 2017. During the proceedings under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, the parties settled their disputes through mediation. They approached the family court to dissolve the marriage and after completion of ďŹ rst motion, the parties ďŹ led an application for waiver of the statutory period of six months. The woman intended to remarry another person on May 2 but a day before, the family court rejected the plea for wavier of the statutory period of six months.

Quashing the family courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s verdict, the high court said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The application ďŹ led by the parties herein for waiving of the period of six months under Section 13B (2) is allowed.â&#x20AC;?

To advertise in India Herald email editor@india-herald.com call 281-799-9459 (cell)

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 17

MUSINGS by Gadfly

Gaping Credibility Gap India’s Sanskrit epic Mahabharat(a) has every trick in the book and the main (but not the only) trickster is Lord Krishna himself.

As great as Shakespeare (16th century AD) & his plays were, and the quality undeniable, the hyperbolic praise heaped on Shakespeare as the last word on character-types, plots & profound reflections on this thing called life are a result of continuous buzz by the English language elites, spread to the English-speaking masses of the world. Most of those masses may not have heard of Sanskrit.

Notwithstanding Shakespeare’s mastery of his characters, plots & poetic justice suggesting classic inspiration, Mahabharat (approx. 10th century BC) had that market cornered centuries before Shakespeare was born.

Mahabharat’s trickster-inchief, Lord Krishna and other ‘characters’, reflect & echo meaningful, original thoughts (quotes) making all writing that followed - from Homer, Milton, Shakespeare & the Chanakyas to the Machievallis of the world – sound like translations or worse, plagiarism.

That doesn’t diminish their quality & class but Sanskrit literature came centuries before all other languages (except perhaps Hebrew), leaving no thought unexpressed & no character unwritten, from the seven deadly sins to the ‘Shadripu’s (seven foes of mind, body & spirit).

What the English-speaking readers often refer to as ageold adages pale at the mention of original (read Sanskrit) sayings. The Sanskrit adage, ‘Atiparichayaat Awadnyaa’ is more succinct & hints at softer content than ’Familiarity breeds contempt’.

The shrill electoral drums beating in India, months before voting began in April this year, bring to mind one such Sanskrit gem. Krishna, in order to help Pandawas win the war against Kaurawas, advises Dharma (Yudhisthir), in the midst of a fierce fight, to lie & trick Guru Dronacharya into thinking that his only son Aswathhama had died in the battlefield, so that a distraught & distracted Dronacharya becomes a sitting duck for an ambush.

Coincidentally, an elephant named Aswathhama had died somewhere else in the battle.

Elephants & horses were routinely used to various advantages in wars then.

Guru Dronacharya was the most revered teacher of both the Pandawas & the Kaurawas and Dharma himself had a reputation (as satyawadi, one who never lies) to protect.

Aware that Dronacharya was seasoned enough to smell a trick & would ask Mr. Truthful Dharma to confirm ‘that news’, Krishna warned Dharma & told

him to say ‘Yes, it’s true’ to Dronacharya & then whisper to himself ‘Naro wa Kunjaro wa (man or elephant) to absolve himself of the lie.

Dharma still objected to this technical lie & worse, a dirty trick to inflict on his revered teacher. That’s when Krishna said ‘All is fair in love & war’, one of his many immortal truisms – since known & often cited worldwide.

It was later found (translated?) in English as “the rules of fair play do not apply in love and war,” in poet John Lyly’s novel “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit,” published in 1579 and later worded into the now familiar “all is fair in love and war” by English author Francis Edward Smedley in his 1850 novel “Frank Fairleigh” about the life of a schoolboy.

Like everything Lord Krishna said in the Mahabharat, his truisms keep repeating themselves.

Politics has always been a battlefield, and elections are now an outright & indecent war. Expectations of maintaining civility in electioneering now elicit laughter. America demonstrated that during the 2016 Presidential elections.

During India’s current election, some decent leaders have responded to uncouth attacks with matching words.

Amidst this cacophony, the citizenry gets a foggy picture of ground reality about real progress, real change in daily life and prospects of the major parties in elections, thanks to a very biased media.

Since the 2014 elections, Indian media’s coverage has shown partisanship for their favourite party/parties, personalities & philosophy, Congress, Communists, Rahul Gandhi, Kanhaiya & all who oppose Prime Minister Modi & BJP, unless someone or something implodes.

My attempts to decipher the truth during telephone conversations with friends & relatives in India produced biased, partial or incomplete information resulting from biased coverage. Opinion pieces in most Indian American publications, just like the Indian media, have been no different.

American media has decided to treat Trump as an undesirable & uncouth character which he may or may not be. So in this political war (like Krishna said), they feel it’s ok to attack Trump under the slightest pretext. Problem is if (and when) time comes to sound real alarms about Trump in the interest of democracy & security, American people – the 40% who just wouldn’t leave Trump & the independents who want to know what is really going on – will not heed the warnings, having heard them too often.

That’s ‘cry wolf’ for you.

Same goes for successors of NaMo who might actually be

extreme right wing.

India’s liberal media doesn’t even pretend to be fair. Modi, BJP, RSS? Insinuate, attack & condemn with induendos.

Congress, Communists, Socialists? Put a positive spin or go in damage control. This lets down democracy & harms India.

Until the rise of Narendra Modi in 2014 with a thumping majority for BJP, fake news did not look fake because BJP didn’t have any credible leaders of stature. Vajpayee became an exception after becoming Prime Minister. While the pre2014 media was clearly ‘Anyone but BJP’, the dilemma for common man was, ‘If not Congress, who?’. Today the media still says ‘Anyone but BJP’ but now the common man is saying ‘if not NaMo, who?’

After the 2014 surprise BJP victory, the extent of media’s heavy bias (‘the idea of India’ brigade) became apparent, more from the supposedly independent opinion pieces (read liberal) than the fake (slanted) news. That’s 90% of the ‘freedom of the press brigade’ - an unpleasant surprise since 2014 for this liberal.

The Amulyas, the Naqvis & rest of the partisan hacks seem fake now & their fake fairness is getting encouraging exposure from publishers & editors, in the service of ‘secular’ & leftist causes. ‘Secular’ to them always meant giving a long rope to all minorities to use it (secularism) to hang the so-called Hindu causes.

Granted, many lesser leaders of the BJP often fuel such fears with irresponsible utterances. But the end result of such partisan media is that when Hindus suffer & disappear, the media disappears. Exhibit A – the pandits of Jammu.

Where will Hindus run then, if not the BJP camp? What you resist, persists.

The media’s disdain for all things BJP has allowed them to abandon their responsibility to their readers & viewers who are owed an unbiased coverage and most of whom are Hindus.

Partisan hacks (posing as political analysts) are a source of frustration for voters looking for truth, not alternate reality or partisan politicking, like ‘saffron brigade’, the Hindu camp, BJP’s Hindu base, the BJP supremos are a regular give away. They write about Congress’ Muslim votes but when it comes to BJP, it is ‘the Hindu vote bank’.

If you try to decipher whether the BJP has done well enough to deserve a repeat of 2014 or deserves to be in the opposition or has not done so bad as to lose the majority, you’ll get nowhere because ‘freedom of the press brigade’ does not hesitate to mislead in the name their leftist cause.

Forget ‘without fear or favour’. They’ve tossed aside the ‘favour’ part. They’re without fear playing favourites.

There are similarities with American media but India’s liberal media seems more intense & more abusive (of freedom of the press).

For an unbiased look at India’s election, if you try Washington Post or New York Times, you’ll be sorry. Liberal analysts drenched in liberalism (read US colleges) now write for most of these publications.

America’s Republicans have been screaming for years about educational institutions being bastions of liberals.

In India, a nationalist is always a Hindu nationalist, right-wing to boot. This liberal will never be a conservative.

Though always a nationalist, is now within an inch left of center, suspicious of the media coverage.

A Washington Post article

by Joanna Slater & Neha Masih (masih means messiah in Quran, to refer to Jesus), both Columbia School of Journalism alumni refers to opinion polls predicting 228 seats for BJP with the NDA alliance garnering a reduced majority while Congress & its allies in UPA are projected to get 140 seats.

Whether Masih is a Muslim name is beside the point, al-

though if it is, then it’s a questionable choice to have her participate in writing about India’s elections where the ruling party & its leader have been repeatedly accused of being antiMuslim.

The question is what are two Columbia School liberals doing writing about this election, though it’s not unusual? Are there no independent graduates from Columbia, Harvard, Yale etc.?

Times of India, Indian Express, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Slater, Masih, Amulya Ganguly, Saeed Naqvi. Same difference. Birds of same feather flocking to the same tune. In a way, we’re back to my last Musings’ (April 17) title Appearances are deceptive. Here mastheads are different but deceptive because political voices are the same.

Old wine in an old but different bottle.

The BJP & NaMo may or may not deserve another thumping majority. But India’s political analysts & editors who harbor a long-held anti-BJP, anti-Hindu bias, have tossed their credibility out the window.

That credibility gap was filled by an article, ‘Reading early signs in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections’ (India Herald April 24), with snippets like ‘Grand alliance lacking coherent narrative’ ‘the anti-BJP federal front stillborn’, ‘opposition narrative too varied and fractured, speaking in too many different voices’, ‘Priyanka Gandhi hasn’t made a huge splash’.

The writer shows no leanings, does not make snide comments about any one party or person and yet comes up with the same conclusion as the Indian media (reduced majority for BJP/NDA).

Indian media’s credibility gap is gaping wide.

(Send responses to gadfly7_7@ yahoo.com; )

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PAGE 18 â&#x20AC;˘ INDIA HERALD â&#x20AC;˘ WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Sri Meenakshi Temple 17-May Fri 7:00 PM Sri Narasimha Jayanthi 18-May Sat 10:00 AM Sri Narasimha Jayanthi 18-May Sat 10:30 AM Vaikasi Vishakam Subramanya Abhishekam 19-May Sun 9:00 AM Vasavi Jayanthi celebrations 29-May Wed 7:00 PM Hanuman Jayanthi 1-Jun Sat 10:30 AM Hanuman Jayanthi Celebrations Art Museum Kannappan Art Museum will be open for public Tuesday 5.30 PM to 7.30 PM, Saturday 10AM to 2 PM, Sunday 12 noon to 4 PM. Address: 2341 N. Galveston Ave, Pearland, TX 77581.

Ashirwad Classes for Kids in Katy Enrollments are open for Indian Heritage classes for Kids and Teens from 4 to 16 yrs. Class curriculum includes Yoga, Meditation, Sloka, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagwad Githa, Sports Day, VEDIC Fair Presentations, Dance, Drama, Hindi & more. Contact : 281-995-0930 or AshirwadABlessing@gmail.com.

Durga Bari Temple Durga Bari temple is open from 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Mon. thru Sat. Sandhya aarti at 6:30 p.m. Temple closes at 7 p.m. Sunday special from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Temple is located at 13944 Schiller Rd (oďŹ&#x20AC; Hwy 6 bet.

Bellaire & Westpark). Call Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-4238541.

Arya Samaj Satsang Weekly Havan Satsang every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DAV Sanskriti School Sundays 10 a.m. to 12 noon. - Havan, Hindi and Naitik BUY

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Shiksha classes. DAV Montessori School for ages 2 to 7 years. Call Arti Khanna 281-759-3286. Free Yoga classes on Sat. Sanskrit & Upanishad classes Tue. 6-8 p.m. At 14375 Schiller Rd. (bet Westpark & Bellaire oďŹ&#x20AC; Hwy 6). 281-752-0100.

Brahma Kumaris The Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Center is open 7 days a week. The center oďŹ&#x20AC;ers free Raja Yoga Meditation classes: MonFri @ 6:00-6:45am and 7-8 pm, Sat-Sun @ 7:00-8:30am, 10 am-2 pm. Visiting hours are Sat-Sun @ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Contact us at (832) 379-8888, houston@bktexas. com, or bktexas.com to sign-up for classes. All Raja Yoga Meditation teachers at the Houston center are samarpit and have 15+ years of teaching experience.

Chinmaya Mission Sunday satsangs for adults, youth, and children. A unique Bala Vihar program for each grade, from PreK to Grade 12. Satsangs in two sessions between 8:35 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. and 11:20 a.m. - 1p.m. Bala Vihar students can take shloka, bhajan and orchestra classes or language classes for Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, and Gujarati. Chinmaya Mission is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77498. New members may visit the welcome desk between 8 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. or 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Please visit www. chinmayahouston.org or contact Bharati Sutaria 281.933.0233 for more information.

Jeeyar Educational Trust Translate knowledge into action classes every Sunday at 10:15 a.m to 12 p.m. at Sri Ashtalakshmi OLD

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Classes in Houston, Mission Bend, & Sugar Land

Temple, 10098 Synott Road, Sugar Land, Tx 77498. Call 785 550 3621 or 832-334-9163. Visit www. ashtalakshmi.org for registration.

Vedanta Society Vedanta Society of Greater Houston, VSGH (oďŹ&#x192;cial Branch Center of Ramakrishna Math, Belur), 14809 Lindita Dr. (77083), has lectures & talks on every Sunday 11 am - 12 pm, followed by Arati & Prasad; Bhagwad Gita Class on Tuesdays, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm; and Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna on Thursdays, 11 am - 12 pm. Rev. Sw. Atmarupanandaji, the Resident Monk, gives all classes, lectures & talks. Ramnaam Sankirtan is on 1st Saturdays 6 pm - 7 pm.

Please visit www.houstonvedanta. org or call 281- 988-7211.

Jain Society Jain Society of Houston, JSH, is located at 3905 Arc Street Houston Texas 77063. Key tenets of Jainism are: Non-violence - Ahimsa, Philanthropy with multicity in views â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anekantvad, No possessiveness - Aparigrah, Right Knowledge -- Samyak Gyan, Right Path â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Samyak Darshan, and Right Conduct â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Samyak Charitrya. JSH has Jain Pathshala Classed for students of all ages each Sunday starting at 10:15 AM. The center is open M-F from 7:30 AM to 12 Noon and 4 to 7 PM, and Sat, and Sun from 8 AM to 6 PM. Call Jain Center at 713 789 2338 or visit www.jainsocietyhouston.org for calendar of events and other detailed information.

Shiv Shakti Mandir Sanatan Shiv Shakti Mandir, 6640 Harwin. Open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All major festivals, as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Virat Mehta 713-278-9099 or Hardik Raval 361-243-6539 for puja or other ceremonies.

Heartfulness Meditation Heartfulness Meditation is a practical technique of tuning inwards to experience our higher selves. Meditation with someone who has the capacity of yogic transmission can help you explore the Heartfulness practice more deeply.

There are no charges for this, and we invite you to experience the unique beneďŹ ts of this transmission. Workshops on Heartfulness relaxation and meditation are held weekly throughout Houston. Web: www.heartfulness.org; Email: houston.heartfulness@gmail.com.

Cell: 713-929-0040.

Hare Krishna Dham Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original Vedic temple, ISKCON of Houston. At 1320 W 34th St. (77018). Daily Darshan & Arati Times: 4.30 a.m, 7 a.m, 8.30 a.m, 12 noon, 4.30 p.m, 7 p.m, 9 p.m. Sunday Festival: 5.30 pm to 7.30 p.m. Weekly Gita classes for adults; call 281-433-1635 or harekrishnadham @gmail.com Houston Namadwaar A prayer house where the Hare Rama Hare Krishna Maha-mantra is continuously chanted. Weekends: 8-11 AM & 4-7 PM, Weekdays: 7-8 AM & 6-7 PM. Weekly â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gopa Kuteeramâ&#x20AC;? childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage classes and Srimad Bhagavatam classes. Call 281-402-6585; visit www.godivinity.org (Global Organization for Divinity).

Saumyakasi Sivalaya Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya is located at Chinmaya Prabha, 10353 Synott Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478.

Temple timings: Monday to Friday: 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon and 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. For more information Contact 281-568-1690 or Jay Deshmukh at 832-541-0059 or visit www.saumyakasi.org Gauri Siddhivinayak Temple Darshan from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. All major festivals as well as birthdays, naam karan, engagement and other ceremonies. Call Pandit Pradip Pandya 832-4669868 for puja and other ceremonies. At 5645 Hillcroft Ste 701, Houston, TX 77036.

Veerashaiva Samaja VSNA Houston is a group of families who believe in Veerashaiva dharma (Basava dharma).

Monthly Mahamane program for prayer and discussion on Vachana Sahitya followed by Prasada. Contact: vsnahous ton@gmail.com or Jagadeesh Halyal 832-744-4166.

Mar Thoma Church Trinity Mar Thoma Church every Sunday at 5810 Almeda Genoa Rd. Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.

Malayalam service at 9:30 a.m. on 1st & 3rd Sunday. Adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. English service at 10:30 a.m. on 2nd & 4th Sunday. Call 713-991-1557 or 281261-4603.

Telugu Christian Fellowship Telugu Christian Fellowship meets every third Saturday of the month at Triumph Church, 10555 W. Airport Blvd., StaďŹ&#x20AC;ord TX 77477 at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a time of praise, worship and fellowship. Worship is in English.

For information call Chris Gantela 281-344-0707, or Rev. Vijay Gurrala 281-997-0757.

Sri Guruvayurappan Temple Hours: Mon to Fri 6 a.m. -8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekends & Holidays: 6 a.m. to noon and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bhajans Saturdays 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Special poojas (weekends and holidays) Choroon (Annaprasam) for kids, Thulabharam, Vahana Pooja, Nirapara. Temple is located at 11620 Ormandy St. (77035) Tel: 713-7298994 email: temple@ guruvayur.us Preksha Meditation JVB Preksha Meditation Center conducts weekly Meditation, Yoga and Swadhyay sessions inside its unique Pyramid hall under the auspicious guidance of Samani Kanchan Pragyaji and Samani Pranav Pragyaji who are stationed at Houston Center this year. It also runs special events and programs like IChoose, Meditation Camps and Gyanshala program for children ages 4-14 yrs. JVB is located at 14102 Schiller Rd. Houston 77082.

Every Tuesday, 9:30am-11:30am, Samaniji has pravachan for all adults interested in learning about Jainism. Every Wednesday there is Swadhyay class from 7-8pm and meditation from 8-9pm. Every Thursday from 9:30-11am there is special Yoga class for Ladies only.

Every Saturday, there is Yoga Class from 9-10am and Meditation from 10-10.30am. Ist & 3rd Sundays, there is Gyanshala Classes for Kids ages 4-14yrs. from 10-12:15pm followed by Lunch. Visit www.jvbhouston.org or send email at info@ jvbhouston.org for more details.

Patanjali Yogpeeth Free Yoga Classes every Sat/Sun

at Arya Samaj from 8 am to 9:30 a.m. Call Anil 281-579-9433. For other free classes, call Indra 281537-0018. For Yoga/Herbal products, call Shekhar 281-242-5000. www.pyptusa.org; www.DivyaProducts.com.

Hindu Temple of The Woodlands 7601 S. Forest Gate Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77382 Temple Hours, Weekdays: 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM 5:30 PM - 8.30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM Aarti at 12:00 PM 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Aarti @ 7:30 PM; Contact 832-585--0001 or temple@myhtw.net Sathya Sai centers Sunday program held at two locations (North Houston: 12127 Malcomson Road, Houston; South Houston: 246 Fluor Daniel Drive, Sugar Land) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm) - Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) classes for children; Study Circle for adults & Devotional singing for all. Service programs - food distribution, canned food drives, nursing home visits, tutoring at schools, etc. Contact Venkat Rao (North) - 602-503-2249 or Ranji Raghavan (South) 281-451-8238.

Visit www.sairegion10.org Sadhu Vaswani Center Sadhu Vaswani Center of Houston holds regular Satsang on 3rd Thursday of the month and daily Arti at 7.30 p.m. Call 281-4630379 or e.mail ramolaj@aol.com Gaudiya Math Shri Govindji Gaudiya Matha is a Hindu Vaishnava temple of Sanatan Dharam and worshipping place of Shri Shri Radha Krishna, Shri Gaur Nitai & Shri Ram Darbar.

Mandir is open daily from 5.30 AM until 8.30 PM. The services are held from 5.30PM to 7.30PM followed by prashad. Daily Aarti times : Mangala Aarti- 5:30 am.

Bhog Aarti - 12:30 pm. Evening Aarti - 7:00 pm. Enroll your child in Sri Govindaji Vedic School. We oďŹ&#x20AC;er Hindi classes for all ages. Sri Govindaji Gaudiya Matha is located in Northwest Houston at 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd Houston TX 77084. For more information, call at 832-464-4686 or visit our website: http://sggm.org.

Swaminarayan Temple Hindu Satsang at Shree Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, under Shree NarNarayan Dev Gadi kalupur.

Opens daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Daily aarti at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday sabha from 5 p.m to 7 p.m. followed by aarti at 7 p.m. and Maha-Prasad (free dinner). www.issotx.org. (281) 530-2565.

Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha West Indian Religious Organization called Sanatan Dharm Maha Sabha Branch # 377 is located at 26100 Tina Lane, Katy, TX 77494.

Durga Mata Pooja is held every Friday from 7 pm to 9.30 pm. Contact Ram Sharma @ 713-412-9985.

Gandhi Library Mahatma Gandhi Library Book Club: Meets 2nd Sunday of each month; 12:30 PM at Arya Samaj Greater Houston, 13475 Schiller Rd. Join the discussion of the great manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s autobiography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Call Manish Wani 713-829-6979.

INDIA HERALD • WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2019 • PAGE 19

Hari Venkatachalam Hindu Students Association, Board of Directors

Succeed In Your Business

PRESS RELEASE

rid TX of–your staffi ng problems and spend more April 6, 2017Get – AUSTIN, The Hindu Students Association (HSA) would like to regretfully announce that it will be Good Numbers = Good Decisions cancelling its annual Gateway Retreat for the 2017 year. HSA prides itself in building a strong network of young Hindu Americans, and it looks forward to organizing other events in the future that will link students from its various branches.

HSA has been reorienting itself in recent months to doing more grassroots work. “We have been focusing more on accomplishing work on the local and branch level,” said Mrinalini Vijalapuram, National President of the Hindu Students Association. “We have been doing this through many different activities including interfaith events with other religious organizations, building community partnerships, and expanding into other campuses that don’t already have HSA branches.”

While the cancellation of Gateway may come as a disappointment for many prospective attendees, HSA hopes to get feedback from students on other projects and events that interest its branch members. Currently, several projects, including developing HSA’s podcast series and releasing monthly articles that highlight the accomplishments of members from the various campuses have been the focus of the organization’s efforts. HSA welcomes student and community members to get involved in these activities to help further the goals of the organization. “It is important that we meet the needs of the campuses and communities we serve,” reiterated Ms. Vijalapuram. “We want to make sure that we are putting our attention on projects that will truly benefit them.”

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